Bottle cutter apparatuses are known, but are difficult to use. There are many different techniques to cut a bottle, most involving a blade that scores the bottle circumferentially so that the same may be cracked, providing a clean separation at the score line. However, other techniques include using a hot wire or hot string in an attempt to break the bottle along a desired line. These techniques have proven to be difficult, and in many cases can be dangerous.
Specifically, the technique of wrapping a bottle with a hot wire or hot string is particularly difficult to produce a clean score line. In most cases, wrapping a hot wire or string around a bottle and attempting to crack along the string or wire leads to shattering of the bottle, which is, of course, very dangerous.
Another technique involves utilizing a high-speed spinning blade to score or cut a glass bottle. While this may be relatively quick and effective, the machines tend to be expensive and also dangerous in that the spinning blades could cause bodily damage. And if not properly used, the spinning blade can cause the bottle to break irregularly, also leading to a dangerous situation with glass shards.
The more common method to cut a bottle involves the afore-mentioned blade scoring of the bottle circumferentially around the bottle. Once scored, the bottle is then impinged by a tapping device to finish the separation of the bottle along the score line. Other techniques have also developed, including applying sources of hot and/or cold to the score line to effectuate the glass separation.
Indeed, bottle cutting jigs have been developed to make bottle cutting easier, less dangerous, and less expensive for users, especially hobbyists. FIG. 1 illustrates a popular, highly effective, and well-known bottle cutter. While the prior art bottle cutter shown in FIG. 1 can effectively and efficiently score a bottle for separation of the same, there are some notable drawbacks. First, it may be difficult to provide sufficient pressure of the blade against the bottle during scoring of the same. The score line should be relatively deep; the deeper the score line, the easier to separate the bottle along the score line while minimizing shattering or breakage of the bottle around the score line. However, the blade is held against the bottle via a spring, in the prior art illustrated in FIG. 1. If the spring is not sufficient, the score line will likely be weak or non-existent, making the separating of the bottle very difficult if not impossible to do cleanly. A need, therefore, exists, for an improved bottle cutting apparatus. Specifically, a need exists for an improved bottle cutting apparatus that provides sufficient pressure on the blade to ensure that the score line imparted is sufficiently deep to effectuate clean separation of the glass.
Ideally, the score line should wrap around the exterior surface of the bottle circumferentially and meet at the end of the score line exactly where it started. Thus, when separated, the score line provides a clean break around the bottle. In many bottle cutters, however, it may be particularly difficult to control the score line to ensure that it meets exactly where it started. A need, therefore, exists for an improved bottle cutting apparatus that imparts a score line that effectively wraps circumferentially around an entirety of the bottle. Moreover, a need exists for an improved bottle cutting apparatus that allows the score line to effectively meet back where it started so that there is no gap when attempting to separate the glass along the score line.
Moreover, typical bottle cutter jigs are designed for a small number of bottle sizes—typically, standard wine-bottle sizes. This is so because oftentimes the components of the bottle cutting jig are stationary and immovable, and as such only certain sized bottles may be placed within the jig for cutting the same. However, it may be desirable to be able to score any size or shape bottle. Typical heretofore known bottle cutters that do allow for movement of elements to accommodate different sized bottles are typically difficult to use and do not provide effective scoring of the bottles. A need, therefore, exists for an improved bottle cutting apparatus that may accommodate different sized and shaped bottles. More specifically, a need exists for an improved bottle cutting apparatus having modular and easily movable elements that can be easily configured to accommodate the differences in sizes and shapes of bottles scored therein.